Chapter Thirteen #2
The door to the hall creaked open at the far end of the bay. Mac stepped inside, all squared shoulders and unreadable expression, a file tucked under one arm. He gave the bags of Herbal Bliss a long look before zeroing in on Carter.
“So, I take it this isn’t Miracle-Gro.”
Carter shook his head. “HPC, linked to Vantage Gulf Holdings, tied to one of Duke Carver’s old development firms.”
Mac’s jaw flexed once. He took the folder from Carter’s outstretched hand and flipped it open. A long silence followed as he scanned the details, flipping between the printout and the tablet Carter had propped nearby.
Caspian leaned closer. “We have anything else?”
“Footage from the last few drops is already logged,” Carter said. “One decent shot of the guy who dropped this. Plates were clean. No priors. No ID yet. I’ve got it flagged across our channels, but if he’s hired muscle, he won’t be in the system.”
“Nursery’s still under shadow,” Bennett added, arms crossed. “If they circle back, we’ll catch it.”
Mac nodded once, his focus remaining on the folder. “Keep that line tight. No outside chatter. If another drop happens—anywhere in Harland—I want eyes on it before they even pop the tailgate.”
He looked up at Matthew. “You’re staying close.”
Matthew met his gaze. “Wasn’t planning to do anything else.”
“She trusts you,” Mac said simply. “And that’s leverage we don’t waste. You’re our link on the ground. If anything changes in her deliveries, her vendors, her gut —you’ll be the first to know.”
Caspian didn’t bother hiding his grin. “Besides, you’re already embedded.”
Matthew didn’t react, other than to stare the guy down.
Mac closed the folder. “Good. Keep it quiet. Keep it local.” With that, their boss turned and left without another word, the door swinging shut behind him.
Silence settled briefly between the three men left behind.
Carter shifted his weight and muttered, “If they’re willing to test her, they’re willing to come back.”
Matthew’s voice was quiet. Steady. “That’ll be their mistake.”
He didn’t blink. Didn’t move. His fingers rested against the plastic seal of the bag, his jaw tight.
Because if they did come back, he’d be ready.
***
T he sky was dark when Matthew finally slid behind the wheel of his truck, the dashboard clock glowing half past seven. He hadn’t meant to stay that long at ESI, but once the conversation had turned to logistics and monitoring schedules, it had taken on a life of its own.
He still half considered swinging back by the nursery to do a night check.
But on the way out, Bennett had clapped a hand on his shoulder and said, “Come to the diner. Laurel saved us the last of the roast beef dinners.”
Which was how he ended up walking through the door of Annie’s Diner to the familiar hum of conversation and the smell of fried comfort.
They were barely two steps in when Laurel glanced up from a corner table and smiled, warm and soft in a way Matthew hadn’t seen her smile around anyone but Bennett.
She stood to greet them, and Bennett leaned in for a quick kiss before pulling out a chair for her and sliding into the seat beside her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Matthew was about to take a seat across from Bennett and Laurel when a familiar laugh drew his attention.
It interrupted his pulse.
He turned and found her.
Callie sat a few tables over with her sister and two women who had to be her mother and grandmother.
The resemblance was easy to spot. Maggie talked with her hands, her words clearly theatrical.
Her mom smiled with gentle amusement. And her grandmother?
She looked like the kind of woman who ran the room without lifting a finger.
But it was Callie who stole his breath.
She was laughing, full and unguarded. Glowing in a way he hadn’t seen all day.
Then her gaze lifted and met his, and for a second, everything else faded to just her. That quiet smile, small and knowing. One meant only for him.
Her mother followed her gaze, then smiled. “Oh! You must be Matthew. Come say hello.”
He glanced toward his friends. Laurel grinned and gave a little wave.
Bennett didn’t even try to hide the smirk. “Go meet the family.”
Internally shaking his head, Matthew crossed the room to the table full of women.
“You already know Maggie,” her mom said warmly. “I’m Callie’s mom, Janice, and this is my mother, Jo.”
He nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
Jo studied him a moment, her eyes sharp with amusement. “You’ve got a good jaw. That’s a dependable trait. You’ve also got that “bend the rules when it matters” look. I like that more.”
“She’s mostly teasing.” Maggie snickered.
“I’m mostly serious,” Jo replied with a wink.
Callie ducked her head with a soft groan. “Sorry.”
Their love and respect for one another immediately set him at ease.
“Don’t be.” He smiled, enjoying their family dynamic.
Her mother nodded, still smiling. “I’d ask you to join us, but it would be rude to leave your friends sitting over there alone.”
“Very rude.” Jo nodded. “We’ll take a raincheck.”
That earned a chuckle from all of them, including Callie.
“Absolutely.” His smile widened. Their genuine warmth seeped into him. It was a balm to his soul that he hadn’t realized had died with his mother. “I’d like that.”
Maggie grinned and leaned over. “Good. Although, don’t make us wait too long. Grandma Jo starts matchmaking if you leave an opening.”
Jo lifted her iced tea. “I’ve already got a backup plan if this one flakes.”
Matthew chuckled and tipped his head. “Duly noted.”
Callie covered her face with one hand. “I can’t take you all anywhere.”
“Sure, you can,” Maggie said, grinning. “We’re very portable chaos.”
Jo raised her glass again. “And we tip well.”
Laughing, Matthew met Callie’s gaze. “See you in the morning.”
She nodded, a beautiful blush coloring her cheeks. “Bright and early.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he said, then turned to smiled at three other grinning faces. “It was nice to meet the rest of Callie’s beautiful family.”
“Okay, that settles it,” Grandma Jo said. “If you don’t marry him, Callie, I will.”
“Mom!” Callie’s mother cried, but her smile was still in place.
Grandma Jo shrugged. “Well, I would.”
Janice gave him a warm smile. “We won’t keep you any longer. Your friends are probably wondering what happened to you.”
“Yeah, before they send out a search party,” Maggie said with a grin. “Or text Callie for answers.”
That earned another soft laugh from Callie, who gave him a look that managed to be fond and exasperated all at once.
“Enjoy the rest of your evening,” he told them, and as he turned to go, Callie’s fingers brushed against his, barely, but the contact was deliberate.
He glanced back and caught her watching him.
And in that single glance, she said everything he didn’t have words for. Gratitude. Trust. Something softer , still forming.
It anchored him. And that was dangerous, because he didn’t only want to protect her for now.
He wanted to protect her always.
With a strength born out of practice, Matthew forced himself to turn away, still feeling the ghost of her touch on his fingers.
By the time he reached the table, Bennett was tucking into that roast beef dinner he’d mentioned Laurel had saved for them, and she was sipping from a chocolate shake that didn’t go with her salad at all. She raised a brow at him.
“Well?” she asked.
Matthew sank onto his chair across from them, still half-lost in the moment. “She’s got a good family.”
“Laurel passed inspection, too,” Bennett said, glancing up from his plate. “I think Jo once threatened to marry me if I didn’t step up.”
“She’s equal parts menace and icon,” Laurel murmured fondly.
Matthew huffed a laugh, picked up his fork, and dug into the roast beef dinner in front of him that Laurel had also saved and ordered for him. He wasn’t really hungry, although it gave his hands something to do.
He wasn’t used to being seen that way. Not in public. Not as someone who belonged at a table filled with laughter and warmth.
But the way Callie had looked at him had made him believe he did.
And somehow, that mattered more than it should.
A little while later, he stepped out into the warm night air, the glow of the diner lights casting long shadows across the parking lot. The scent of coffee and pie still clung to his clothes, but the laughter from inside was already fading behind him.
Callie stood near a vehicle, saying goodbye to her mom and grandmother as they climbed into a weathered SUV. Maggie must’ve already headed out. Janice leaned across the seat to say something—probably one last piece of advice—while Jo gave Callie a dramatic wink before closing the door.
They drove away with a honk and a wave, leaving her standing alone, smiling to herself.
He had updates to share with her, but he didn’t want to bring up business when she was clearly relaxed and happy after her family dinner.
No. They could wait. She needed the respite.
With his mind set, Matthew took a step closer. “You survive that interrogation?”
Callie turned, clearly not surprised to see him. “Barely. But I think Grandma Jo’s got your back.”
“Pretty sure she proposed.”
“She does that,” Callie said with a small laugh. “I’ve seen her flirt with the mailman. Twice.”
He chuckled. “I’ll try not to read too much into it, then.”
They stood there for a moment, the quiet stretching between them, not uncomfortable. No. It was full of things neither of them had quite figured out how to say.
A short honk drew both their attention as a dark SUV rolled past the diner entrance, windows down. Laurel waved from the passenger seat, her smile visible even in the dim light. Bennett gave a knowing nod behind the wheel before pulling out onto the road.
Callie gave a little wave back. “They’re cute together.”
Matthew smirked. “He’s been insufferable ever since she said yes.”
“Wait till the wedding planning starts. Then we’ll see who’s smug.”
“Oh, I look forward to it.” He grinned. “Her aunt Annie is going to be a force of nature.”
Callie laughed. “True.” Her gaze turned sobered. “Thanks for not making it weird in there.”
“You mean while your family was offering to adopt me?”
She rolled her eyes but grinned. “That part was weird. I meant weird as in…pretending this is just business.”
She waved a hand between them.
Matthew’s smile softened. “It’s not just business.”
“Good.” She grinned. “Because I agree.”
He wasn’t sure what startled him more, her admission, or the fact she stepped close, rose onto her toes and pressed her lips to his.
It wasn’t hurried or shy. It was warm. Certain. Real.
He slid his hands to her waist and kissed her back, unhurried and deliberate, pouring everything he felt into the moment.
When she drew back, her smile lingered. “See you in the morning?”
He nodded, resisting the urge to pull her back in. “Bright and early.”
As she turned and walked to her truck, Matthew stood there watching, heart steady, pulse not.
She kissed like she trusted him and believed in him, and he’d die before letting that faith be misplaced.